Early life and education

He received his early education at the Ajmer Military School (formerly King George's Royal Indian Military School) in Ajmer, Rajasthan. He graduated with a master's degree in economics from the University of Agra in 1967.[8] He was awarded an honorary doctorate for his contribution in the field of strategic and security matters, in science and literature from Agra University in December 2017 and Kumaun University in May 2018 respectively.[9]

Career as IPS

Police career

Doval joined the IPS in 1968 in the Kerala cadre. He was actively involved in anti-insurgency operations in Mizoram and Punjab.[10] Doval was one of three negotiators who negotiated the release of passengers from IC-814 in Kandahar in 1999.[10] Uniquely, he has the experience of being involved in the termination of all 15 hijackings of Indian Airlines aircraft from 1971–1999.[11] In the headquarters, he headed IB's operations wing for over a decade and was founder Chairman of the Multi Agency Centre (MAC), as well as of the Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI).[12]

Doval spent six years in Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan. He went to Kashmir in 1990 and persuaded militants (like Kuka Parray) to become counter-insurgents targeting hardline anti-India terrorists.[12] This set the way for state elections in Jammu and Kashmir in 1996.[18]

After retirement (2005–2014)

Doval retired in January 2005[10] as Director, Intelligence Bureau. In December 2009, he became the founding Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation, a public policy think tank set up by the Vivekananda Kendra.[19][20][21] Doval has remained actively involved in the discourse on national security in India. Besides writing editorial pieces for several leading newspapers and journals, he has delivered lectures on India's security challenges and foreign policy objectives at several renowned government and non-governmental institutions, security think-tanks in India and abroad.

On 30 May 2014, Doval was appointed as India's fifth National Security Advisor.

In June 2014, Doval played a crucial role in ensuring the secure return of 46 Indian nurses who were trapped in a hospital in Tikrit, Iraq. After family members lost all contact from these nurses, following the capture of Mosul by ISIS. Doval, on a top secret mission flew to Iraq on 25 June 2014 to understand the position on the ground and make high-level contacts in the Iraqi government.[27]

Although, the exact circumstances of their release are unclear, on 5 July 2014, ISIS militants handed the nurses to authorities at Erbil city and two specially arranged planes by the Indian Government brought them back home to Kochi.[28]

Along with Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Doval planned a military operation against militants operating out of Myanmar. The mission was said to be a success with 50 militant casualties.[29][30][31]

He is widely credited for the doctrinal shift in Indian national security policy in relation to Pakistan. Switching from 'Defensive' to 'Defensive Offensive' as well as the 'Double Squeeze Strategy.'[32] It is speculated that the September 2016 Indian surgical strikes in Pakistan were his brain child, which were extremely effective in neutralizing targets hostile to India.[33][34][35][36]

On the left of PM Modi is Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and on the right is Ajit Doval.

In October 2018, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Strategic Policy Group (SPG), which is the first tier of a three tier structure at the National Security Council and forms the nucleus of its decision-making apparatus.[40]

Awards and recognitions

Doval was the youngest police officer to receive the Police Medal for meritorious service.[13] He was given the award after six years in the police (the norm is at least 17 years' service).[13]